C15 missing teeth on cam gear.

Had a truck come in with a popping sound in the intake. Check it and knew its in cylinder 1. Open it up and the cam roller looks like the crap and cam too. Intake valve is tight so I adjust it to see if popping goes away and it did. So time to change cam. Pull the cam gear and there's a spot in a row with half of the tooth on about 15 teeth gone and one every now and then one by its self gone too. Of course 2 idler gears, power steering drive gear thats down hill from the cam gear. Bull gear is ok.

What caused it?

Should of tried to check back lash but I didn't see the cam gear till it was apart. Never had a bad gear before and from the front it looks good. Owner said it hasn't had the valves set sense it was rebuilt 650,000 miles ago.

I had bad cams in a cat before but Haven't seen broke gear in a cat before.

You have a lot to check, back plate may crack at stud holes from stress caused by the broke teeth. check your serial number and see if there is an update on the cam gear. then look at the crankshaft damper for dents and distortion, you should probably change it as well. the broken teeth can also damage the water pump gear, when they break they go everywhere through the front gear train.

<< You have a lot to check, back plate may crack at stud holes from stress caused by the broke teeth. check your serial number and see if there is an update on the cam gear. then look at the crankshaft damper for dents and distortion, you should probably change it as well. the broken teeth can also damage the water pump gear, when they break they go everywhere through the front gear train. >>

I have gone through the rest of the gears. Water pump is ok. We called on new gears and they didn't say anything about a update we we didn't ask either. I will ask. I will look at the plate too. I was changing damper too from is age and guessing its never been change. But it looks ok. I seen this in a Detroit when the bull gear goes out but not in a cat. Wait to see if they want to put that much into this truck.

Back when this happened the truck needed a cam, Rad. and I was doing rod and mains and a dampener. Found the bad gears gave him that news and he said put everything on a skid and put it on the back of the truck and push it out we will come get it sometime. Not putting that kinda money in a 2000 or 2001 truck. So with all the parts out side in the rain for 2 months he shows up and says overhaul it.

Now that everything is rusty that was on the skid like jake brakes, rockers ( getting new ones anyway), oil pump and tubes.

OOH well something to keep me busy for awhile. In the back of my mind I thought this could happen. No place to store it inside.

Not your fault, you did what he said. Like the guy on the old Fram oil filter commercial used to say- "you can pay me now, or you can pay me later." It is ironic it happened that way, but it happens all over. Definitely not a perfect industry, as long as there are people in it. You both will live through it.

I think he went out pricing used trucks with egr valves and after treatment stuff and decided to fix what he has. I am happy to do it just wish the parts were not rusty now but I cleaned it the best I could. Once the oil hit it it will not rust anymore.

Lesson learned for you and everyone else here. We all know the cost of parts replacement. So always treat the good parts like they were your own, and like you needed them next week, that means preserve em and box em or can em using bubble wrap or what ever. Never ever put good parts unprotected out side.

It happens all the time.....especially when you have a 12-15 year old truck with a $15,000 repair estimate. A few years ago I had to rent a yard to store trucks in dis-repair. Worst is when the owner comes and strips parts for another truck, then later decides to fix it up. Then you are jumping through your ass to find all the missing parts. Had a Western Star two years ago that needed about $10,000 to fix it. Owner came and got the trans and one of his flunkies took the dash but cut all the wires and air lines.Then the fifth wheel. So earlier this year he decides to fix it. After all that time so much had to be done it finally cost him just over $22,000 and if I figured all my time, I didn't make any money on it. And if he decided to sell it, it is worth about $15,000. You just can't protect everybody's parts everytime...it's not possible.

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One of the last 2 Stroke mechanics left.44 years in the business and worked on everything from 53 series to 149 series. Winding it down now...time to move on.